All three Kensington selectmen resign

There's an empty selectmen's meeting room in Kensington, where Linda Blood, Robert Wadleigh and Chairman Norman DeBoisbriand have resigned from the board. [Kathleen Bailey, file]▲

KENSINGTON -- The town was without a governing board for the September primary election, and it will remain that way for the near future, as the town grapples with the resignation of its three selectmen.

Linda Blood, Robert Wadleigh and Chairman Norman DeBoisbriand resigned this past Monday night after months of tension between them and a group of townspeople.

The selectmen have been at odds with residents since June, when longtime resident and volunteer Donna Carter was terminated from the Recreation Committee. Carter has been asking the board for a letter detailing the reasons for her termination, but DeBoisbriand, Blood and Wadleigh have repeatedly said they need to follow town counsel's guidelines, as the decision was made in nonpublic session and opinions were aired which may be harmful to other residents. The issue boiled over in several board meetings this summer.

Carter was on the agenda for Monday night and again spoke to her issue. But an allegation of nepotism later in the meeting was the catalyst for the resignations, according to Wadleigh.

"We took our usual beating at the beginning of the meeting," Wadleigh said in a phone interview Tuesday. "We got to the point where we were supposed to make the appointment for deputy town clerk, and the person we were appointing happened to be my wife."

Wadleigh's wife, Nancy, was one of three applicants for the position of deputy town clerk, which was vacated when current Town Clerk Carol Beers-Witherall applied for and received a promotion.

"It got to the point where the audience decided to take a few whacks at her," Wadleigh said. He had recused himself from the discussion and possible appointment of the deputy town clerk. But, Wadleigh said, when angry residents started to say negative things about his wife, it was too much.

"I took her application from Norman, balled it up, threw it in the trash and walked out," Wadleigh said. "I couldn't deal with it." He said he verbally resigned at that point.

"It's one thing to take shots at me," Wadleigh said. "It's another thing to take them at my wife."

The alleged "shots" and resignation came after a long, hot summer of dissent, which Wadleigh likened to the general mood around the country. "It's a 'mob rule' mentality," he said. "The way people conduct themselves at meetings is a reflection of that - they certainly aren't civil."

DeBoisbriand confirmed in a phone interview Tuesday that all three board members had resigned. "It's a diversion tactic from the real issues facing the town," he said, adding, "It's unfortunate that it has come to this."

For DeBoisbriand, the desire to protect family members was also the catalyst for his resignation. His wife, Holly McCann, was on the Recreation Commission and has been the subject of public criticism in meetings and on the Kensington Squawks Facebook page.

He echoed Wadleigh's sentiment that he can take the shots if they're only for him, but won't allow his family to come under fire. "I could tolerate it," he said. "But it was time for us to weigh what we were doing."

According to DeBoisbriand, comments Carter made about McCann in Monday's meeting upset him. "I had to respond," he said.

But when the townspeople questioned the decision to hire Nancy Wadleigh, it got uglier. "Bob," DeBoisbriand said, "had had it."

DeBoisbriand maintained that the resignations had nothing to do with Carter's correspondence.

"I feel comfortable with my decision," he said, adding, "This board did good things for the town."

Blood could not be reached for comment.

State law requires that a majority of selectmen be present to oversee town elections.

Town Moderator Harold Bragg said there is a procedure in place to cover elections when there's no town government.

"The statute says I am the designated leader, and I can appoint two selectman designees," he said.

There is also a process in place for a temporary town government, Bragg said. It will involve Police Chief Scott Sanders working closely with Kathleen Felch, the administrative assistant to the former board, to elect or appoint a new board.

"We are not in uncharted waters," Bragg said.

Sanders said several members of the community have stepped forward to volunteer to fill the selectmen vacancies on an interim basis until the March elections.

"Town counsel is providing guidance in navigating that process in the most expedient way possible," stated Sanders in a press release. "Kensington is a resilient community, with many committed and hardworking people. I'm confident that we will be able to stand united to see each other through this period of transition. Now more than ever, we need to support our neighbors in order to realize the shared vision of our community and embrace the opportunities that lay ahead of us."

Sanders said he wasn't sure if the Sept. 24 selectmen's meeting would go forward.

In Wadleigh's view, the attitude toward town officials will affect volunteerism. "It's getting to the point where nobody will want to do these jobs," he said.

Wadleigh isn't sure he'll serve the town in another volunteer capacity. "We'll have to see," he said. "Right now I don't care. So for the time being, no."

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